In 2006, Mazda launched the CX-9, signaling their intentions to become a premium car manufacturer. It was big, stylish, and fast—but lacked the brand cachet to match its premium ambitions. Since then, Mazda has made giant leaps in terms of technology and quality: the current CX-8 and CX-9 are a cut above any mainstream rivals.
But does that progress give them the balls to play with the big boys? Mazda certainly hopes so. An aborted attempt at a sporting rear-wheel drive Mazda 6 sedan has brought us the Large Product Platform. The CX-90 based on this platform is aimed squarely at Lexus and BMW. With Skyactiv goodness mated to rear-biased hybrid all-wheel drive, can Mazda’s new flagship take it bang-zoom-to-the-moon and break into the rarefied air of the luxury market?
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Exterior
The CX-90 certainly looks luxurious, proof that the Kodo design language works on everything. Mazda makes no attempts to hide the bodywork behind cartoonishly large lights or plastic bits. Instead, they frame their jewel-like lights and grille in large expanses of complex, curved Artisan Red body surfacing: Artisan Red being a more ‘mature’ take on Soul Red. Aside from subdued chromework around the sills and front quarters, the only adornments are hidden front intakes that channel air around the front tires. Other aero goodies—like active shutters behind the grille and extensive underbody cladding—lower aerodynamic drag on the highway. While Skyactiv Mazdas already have rear–weighted profiles, these new rear-drive biased LPP cars feature incredibly long hoods that further add to that premium feel.
Rear haunches feature subtle flaring that add muscularity to the design, and the D-Pillar calls to mind the infamous ‘breadbox’ BMW Z3M. To make space for the third row, however, the rear hatch protrudes quite far out, which can look awkward from some angles.
Huge 21-inch wheels fill out the fenders nicely and are standard across the range. Thus equipped, the CX-90 cuts an imposing profile parked at any hotel entrance in the country.
Interior
The inside is unfussily stylish, with quilted Nappa leather, Leganu suede, and graphite trim giving a suitably luxurious feel. You will be spending twice the CX-90’s asking price for something that looks or feels significantly better. Big bucket seats up front feature fantastic bolstering and quilted suede inserts. The second row on this Exclusive variant is split into captain’s chairs, giving you extra isolation and space. Some of which is eaten up by the gigantic center armrest and console box. The third row features impressively supportive seats with good elbow and leg room, but ingress, headroom, and foot space are tight.
The trunk is impressively large, with 450 liters of space with the third row up, and thousands more available with each row folded. Surprisingly, Mazda found space for an in-compartment spare tire. Meaning you don’t have to crawl underneath to get at it. The loading lip and floor over that spare are rather high, but a powered tailgate, an underfloor organizer, and quick-fold seats make this a truly practical setup.
Engine performance
The big 3.3-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder gasoline engine under that long, sexy hood is anything but practical. With 280hp and 450Nm of torque, it is, in fact, almost decadent. Even with a green engine and a full tank of gas, we had no trouble matching the claimed 7.6 second 0-100 km/h time with little drama or fuss. All-wheel drive and sticky tires mean nary a chirp or plaint from any of the tires under full power, in any conditions.
Power reaches those tires through an eight-speed transmission and a 17hp electric assist motor sandwiched between two clutches. Mazda does the double-dutch dual clutch differently. Unlike other dual clutches which act like parallel single clutches, Mazda uses the second clutch and the electric motor to smooth the shift-shock and slow shifts you often get with single clutches.
For the most part, this works. Shifts are pleasingly quick, even when shuffling between forward and reverse—usually an issue for single automated clutches. None of that awful clunking typical of old BMW SMGs when driven in traffic, while still getting the same snappy M-powerrr shifts when driven full bore.
Unfortunately, the gearbox still needs some work. It’s generally fine at most speeds, but it needs an intermediate gear between first and second—fist being too short for gentle starts and second being too long to start in at all. Worse yet, the transmission flutters indecisively between the two at low speeds. You can lock the transmission in manual mode—an option hidden in the menus—but it still shifts down to first gear at walking speed in crawling traffic. This is where you start to miss the traditional automatic and its slushy—but smooth—torque converter.
The fancy clutches, electric assist, and start-stop system are ace at fuel economy, though. In traffic, we averaged between 5-6km/L, a far cry from most gasoline SUVs of this size. iStop is generally smooth in operation, but very aggressively cuts AC at stops. I wager most owners will leave it off. We saw between 10-14 km/l in mixed use, and between 14-18 km/l on the highway. Great numbers for the size and power, though we do wish the mild hybrid system had enough battery to run the AC longer with the engine off in traffic.
Ride and handling
But the open road is where the CX-90 really belongs. The sheer power and refinement make it fantastic at eating up vast distances at high speed. Sound deadening is incredible, save for some noise seeping through the rear doors, and the long wheelbase and rearward weight bias make it deliciously settled through high speed bends and sweepers. As the going gets twistier, it goes harder than you expect it to. While not necessarily a plus-sized Miata, it does feel like a credible Japanese take on the BMW X5, which is obviously what Mazda was going for.
And while you’re cognizant of its size, the visibility and ergonomics make it easy to thread down narrow roads. You can genuinely sit low and relaxed, as in a sports sedan, and still confidently judge the corners of the car. The narrow inline-clutch transmission allows Mazda to shrink the frame rails around the powertrain package, giving the CX-90 a surprisingly tight turning circle for its size. Perhaps the only issue here are those enormous third row headrests occupying most of the view through the rear hatch. Thankfully, you get 360-degree parking sensors and cameras. All the better not to ding up those lovely 21-inch wheels with.
This brings us to the one glaring issue with this setup: The only wheel and tire package locally available are 21-inch alloys wrapped in 275/45 R21 Toyo Proxes. While the CX-90’s suspension absorbs large heaves and bumps with finesse, for an exceptional primary ride, those big wheels tend to judder about over small, sharp bumps, giving a fidgety secondary ride. Something you could, perhaps, fix by opting for a less hardcore setup. But without that option from the dealer, that becomes an added expense.
Extra features
Not that you're going to find yourself wanting for much else. The CX-90 Exclusive comes fully loaded, with a panoramic sunroof, automatic everything—ignition, locks, seats, lights, wipers and tailgate—and typical Mazda-level interior goodness, with leather and suede that feel almost Italianate in execution.
Mazda’s infotainment setup remains unique in this market. The large center screen isn’t touch-sensitive, which means navigating Android Auto or Apple CarPlay with the ubiquitous dial—iDial? M-Dial?—but I appreciate that Mazda doesn’t like us fiddling with the screen in traffic. Voice control allows you to set Waze or Maps with little issue, anyway. There’s a fully digital instrument display incorporating readouts for the Level 2 i-Activsense driving assists. As always, Mazda’s steering assist and adaptive cruise are super-smooth. There’s also a heads-up display that links to Waze or Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions right up in your line of sight. Coolness.
Sound-wise, the 12-speaker BOSE system—with its spare-mounted subwoofer—has enough firepower to knock your socks off when listening to a tasty drum solo. It also has enough clarity for the more effete stuff your backseat passengers may want to listen to, instead. Those passengers are well-served, with AC vents and USB-C charging ports in all rows. The driver also gets a wireless charging pad, but having it sit sideways means that phones with jutting camera bumps will rock back and forth as you drive—which is not fun.
Verdict
But the CX-90, overall, is a fun thing to drive. X5 levels of fun, even. Is that what the market wants, though? Perhaps it hews a bit too closely to the BMW experience, with ride comfort somewhere between a regular X and an M. Only without the adaptive suspension option you get with the more expensive SUV—which is admittedly difficult to package at these prices.
While the CX-90 will certainly appeal to the well-heeled enthusiast for Sunday morning coffee runs, the compromises made in the name of performance might not appeal to the chauffeured set. The CX-9 is still a better choice for the driven over the drivers. And if you don’t need a third row or trunk space for five sets of golf clubs, four mountain bikes, and three dead bodies, the CX-60 gives you the same thrills in a lighter, more agile package.
So Mazda may have missed the mark, but not by much. Despite its flaws, the CX-90 is the most fun three-row vehicle you can get for under five million bucks, and a tantalizing look at the rear-wheel-drive Mazda 6 that might have been. Or might still, eventually, be.
One can only hope.
SPECS: 2024 Mazda CX-90 3.3 AWD HEV Turbo Exclusive
Price: P3,790,000
Engine: 3.3-liter I6 mild hybrid
Power: 280hp
Torque: 450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Layout: AWD
Seating: 7
Score: 8/10
More photos of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 3.3 AWD HEV Turbo Exclusive:
